Donatien Grau

Under Discussion: The Encyclopedic Museum, edited by Donatien Grau, looks at the encyclopedic museum from several perspectives with an eye toward both its past and its future, and what that future might resemble.

Let me start by saying that a lot of the discussion went right past me. I had some opinions but also knew that those opinions were based on very little detailed knowledge and mostly broad ideas. I also am ignorant about many of the aspects of operating a museum of any kind. The collected interviews helped me, by consisting of questions and (usually quite extensive) answers, stay on topic and follow a lot better than if each chapter had been an essay.

So, as someone who loves art and artifacts, who values history and various cultures, and who enjoys museums immensely, I learned a lot of things that may not help me enjoy the art more but will help me appreciate what most in the museum community are trying to do. Namely, reconcile the colonialist foundations of such museums with contemporary ideals and morals. And that is no easy task.

I thought it was interesting to compare the general tone of those in the administration arms of the museums with the artists and those with an interest in making sure all groups (to the extent possible) are represented. The differences, as far as I could tell, were largely of tone and scope. Directors and such almost always spoke in broad sweeping terms of what encyclopedic museums are doing (even if they aren't actually doing it very well or completely yet) while many of the others spoke of those things as potentialities of encyclopedic museums once they figure out how to make some form of reconciliation with areas and peoples who might have had their culture's treasures taken during colonial rule.

I would recommend this most highly to those either intimate with museum operation or those who focus on reconciliation where such artifacts as found in museums may come into play. For the more casual art lover, such as myself, this might be slow reading but it does serve to highlight what the future museums may be like. So for us the book may be more hit or miss depending on whether you are bothered by reading some things that might be beyond your current knowledge. If you are interested, however, I would recommend this mainly because many viewpoints are represented and the interview format helps organize the reader's thoughts at the same time that it often reigns in the interviewee.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (más)